


Fire Station 9

by Olol



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Firefighters, Fluff, charity ball, figherfighterTobirama, floristSakura
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:41:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25776802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Olol/pseuds/Olol
Summary: Every year there was competition between the police department and fire department to see who could raise the most money for the Children's hospital. Well more like Uchiha vs Senju. Hashirama volunteers Tobirama to help set up the event for the fire department, yet forgot to mention the florist/planner he would be working with.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Senju Tobirama
Comments: 70
Kudos: 137





	1. meeting the florist

**Author's Note:**

> My first attempt at writing Tobirama, hope I don't make him too OOC. I adore TobiSaku so here is my contribution to this rarepair. Let me know what you think.

Tobiramra looked around the station. He took in the site of the empty hall. One of his crews just left for a cat in a tree call. The crew had a few new recruits, so it will likely take a couple of hours. They will learn quickly to despise Mrs. Whiskers. The cat gets stuck in a tree every 2 weeks and always takes at least 2 hours to get her down. 

He had to release an exhale. The men had left the space in complete and utter disarray. They would soon be having one of the florists come to look at the space for their next charity ball. He was debating asking his brother for a different location, but money was tight in the budget. They had decided to do it at fire station 9. It was nestled just outside the heart of the city and had enough yard space to allow for the masses to congregate inside and out. 

The mess was getting to him and it was almost 5pm, meaning when the men came back they would be hungry. He scavaged through the fridge and pantry. If he was going to meet this florist he might as well kill time by cooking. 

Most of the men weren’t picky in what they would eat, as long as there was protein, lots of protein. He found some ground beef in the fridge, saltine crackers in the pantry. Meatloaf. A strange food, but it spoke of home for most of the firefighters. He cut open the package of ground beef, dumping it into a bowel. He was feeling slightly lazy and dumped the crackers into the blender, grinding them up faster than he could have done by hand. He didn’t bother to measure the barbecue sauce or ketchup as he added it to the mixture, along with a couple of eggs. He then used the best utensils he had, his hands. He gently massaged the mixture, combing the ingredients together. Soon he was able to shape it into the loaf shape and shove it in the oven. 

Deciding to have some vegetables with the meal. Tobirama grabbed some carrots, potatoes (not a vegetable he told himself), asparagus, and mushrooms. He raised a brow at the asparagus. “Who the hell bought this?” He quickly drizzled with olive oil, a dash of salt, and a healthy dash of pepper. Soon the vegetables were going into the oven, joining the meatloaf. 

“Hello” he heard a soft voice cut through the silence. It was irrey having the station be so quiet. 

“Here.” came his short, gruff reply. Before he knew it he was met with sparkling green eyes and ...pink hair? Why would someone dye their hair such a ridiculous color? However he soon realized that both this woman’s eyebrows and eyelashes were pink as well. Natural, how strange. 

“I’m looking for ...Battalion chief Senju. Do you know where I could find him? I'm Sakura, the florist Hashirama hired.” 

Tobimara had to pause. His brother already hired this woman? That would not do. 

“ I have not heard that we hired a florist. This is supposed to be just a consultation.” He saw Sakura wince at his tone. 

“Hashirama already met with me to go over the details of the event. I gave him an estimation of the cost, but couldn’t do an actual plan until I saw the layout in person.” She passed her hand through her hair. 

“Also you have not told me who you are, which is not proper manners.” She quirked a perfectly plucked eyebrow at him and had the audacity to tap her foot. 

“My name is Tobirama Senju and I am the battalion chief.” Sakura took in the man standing before her. She had figured the moment she walked in the room who this man was, but he needed to lose the attitude. Was he drop dead gorgeous? Yes. He had scars on the sides of his face and his chin that highlighted his bone structure. His hair was a sliver white in color and his eyes were blood red. His colorings reminded her of someone else she knew. However, the sheer arrogance coming off him, would cause a rock to turn away. 

“Thank you. Now can you show me this space I have heard about. I am also under the impression that there may be an outside space as well for the event. I will need to see that as well.” Sakura had pulled out her notebook. She already had lots of ideas after talking with Hashirama, but wanted to make sure it was just right. 

Tobirama took a deep breath, this was going to be a long meeting. Sakura followed him quietly. He could hear the snaps of her phone’s camera as they walked to the main hall. 

“There isn't much to this space is there?” Tobirama was going to respond, but she was walking away from him, writing something in her book. He took in her appearance just then. She was on the average side for height, but she was a waif of a thing from how her clothes were fitting her. It looked like a strong wind would blow her over. She was wearing yoga pants, he assumed, and a loose fitting top. Her hair fell just below her shoulders. Her face was heart shaped with a delicate nose, high cheekbones, but it was her eyes that drew all the attention. He had to shake his head. 

“Alright can you show me outside now? “ Tobirama wanted to lead her to the front door and never have her come back. However he didn’t think that his brother would be too happy with him. This event was their main charity event for the year. Every year they competed with the police department to see who could earn the most money for the children’s hospital. 

For some reason over the last couple of years the police department raised more than them. Tobirama was perplexed by this. Part of him knew they would make more money if they had a firefighters calendar, but he didn’t care for the tactic. Madara and Izuna on the other hand kept using their younger cousins, or was it nephews he could never keep that family straight, to attract the female population.   
He led her to the side room off the main room and then through the double doors that led outside. He looked around the patio they had, it was one of his favorite features of the station. 

Sakura took in the space she just walked into. Now this she could work with. She didn’t know how she agreed to help Hashirama with this party, but if she could spend time out here she wouldn’t mind. The patio was made of red bricks. Instead of them going straight across in typical fashion, they were arranged in a circle and flared out in a spiral pattern. The brick was continued to a half wall, that would be the perfect height for people to sit on comfortably. There were 4 steps that led to the grass area. Small cobblestones created a path to the front and back of the building. The trees in this area were large. They went well above the fire station’s roof and created an almost canopy, encompassing the side in shade. 

Sakira could already see it. Simple string lights going from the trees to the station’s walls, mimicking the natural arch of the trees. Bar height tables on the patio for guests to eat at and talk. The inside was going to need some work, but she would just need to highlight the natural beauty of this space. 

Tobirama was watching her again. Sour look on his face. He couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t say anything. When he had first seen her he imagined she wouldn’t be quiet. He was proven wrong. He was never wrong. She snapped her notebook shut. 

“ I think I have everything I need. It smells like your meatloaf is ready by the way. I’ll show myself out.” Tobirama followed her. The moment he walked back into the station he realized he needed to get the food out of the oven before it burnt to a crisp. 

“Are we not going to discuss details?” As he opened the oven he was happy to see he was just in time. He wouldn’t not voice his thanks to this pink haired woman. 

“As i said before. Hashirama and I already talked about plans. I just needed to see the area to see what to go with. I will have an estimate with cost and plans sent to him.” She grabbed the bag he didn’t realize she had brought with her and was getting ready to leave. 

“Why would you send the plans to him? I am the one in-charge of the event.” Tobimara found her stunned face a victory. He couldn’t help smirk as he folded his arms in front of his body. 

“I was under the impression I would be working with Hashirama.” Sakura felt ice fill her veins. She would be spending the next few weeks working with him. His personality made Fugaku seem inviting. 

“I’ll send an email about the timing for the next meeting then.” Tobirama watched her walk away. It wasn’t long after she left that the guys started filtering back in. He heard snippets about their job, but his mind was on the next couple of weeks. He was not looking forward to it. He ate is meatloaf and vegetables a little too aggressively that night. The crew members knew not to ask why.


	2. Flowers and coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobirama is not looking forward to his meeting with the florist on his day off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter! Hope you enjoy.

Tobirama looked at his older brother. He couldn't fathom what he was thinking. “Why do I have to be in charge of this event? You should do it.” 

Hashirama looked at his brother. “I am busy with trying to get more money in our budgets for new equipment. It is pathetic what some of the crews have to walk around in and drive. Besides Sakura is a nice girl, she shouldn't give you any trouble. She almost reminds me of Tsunade at times. Plus you were happy to take it on earlier.”

Tobirmara quirked an eyebrow. “ How is her reminding you of our cousin a good thing?” Did he not remember their cousin’s infamous temper, gambling habits, and tendency to reach for the sake a little to frqeuently. “If she is like our cousin, we will be losing money at this charity event.” 

“Oh please, Tsuna has gotten better since she has aged. Shouldn't you treat her a little nicer, she is older than you. Tsuna was actually the one who recommended Sakura.” 

Hashirama felt like his brother needed to let his hair down, metaphorically of course. Tobirama’’s hair could never be as silky soft as his own. He has been about nothing but work for the last few years and needed to have some fun. Planning a charity ball should be what he needs. It's going to get him out of the station and interact with people not working under him. Most people feared his little brother, due to his stoneface, but really his brother cared for every single one of his men. It was a lot of his policies that Hashirama implemented when he became the fire chief. 

At least Hashi had Madara to let loose with , and Mito at home. Tobirama and Izuna have never seen eye to eye, and his love life was lacking. Maybe Sakura had some single friends she could introduce him to. My god he wanted a niece or nephew. 

Once he heard the sigh he knew he won. “Fine, but if she tries to decorate the place in nothing but pink we are firing her.” 

“ I knew you would see reason.” Sadly he was so focused on winning he didn’t notice his brother sneaking over to him and kicking his chair over. With the grace of a drowned cat, Hashirama fell off his chair. 

“What was that for?” he looked up at Tobirama, hurt look on his face. 

“ I can’t let you get too comfortable.” He would have been more angry if it wasn’t for the fact his brother had not done something so childish in such a long time. 

“Don't forget you need to meet her at her shop at 9am tomorrow. Maybe she will give you some advice on how to dress as well. Since you have such a fondness for pink, maybe she’ll know a good tailor to make a custom suit.” Hashirama ran out the door before the wet sponge could hit him in the face. 

Tobi stood at the entry to the shop not wanting to go in. It was his day off and here he was the last place he wanted to be. He was supposed to sleep in, make coffee, then read his paper. Instead he was at a flower shop. From the outside it looked fairly low key, not what he was expecting at all. He saw multiple people go in and out of the shop already. When they left they were carrying beautiful arrangements with smiles on their faces. He didn’t understand why people would pay so much money for something that would die so soon. 

After 5 more minutes of debating he entered the stoop. He was expecting it to be decorated with bright colors and garish displays. Instead he was hit with a sleek and modern design. There was an exposed brick wall. It looked like it had once been painted white, but someone tried to remove the color to reveal the natural red brick. There were wood light fixtures with exposed edison bulbs hanging from the ceiling. As he walked through the store he noticed that there was a coffee shop attached to it. It was an unexpected surprise. One that he should have realized when he was standing outside. Before he could move to the coffee shop side, he heard her. 

“Tobirama-san, glad you could make it. Sorry that it had to be on your day off, but this is one of our slower days.” Sakura looked relaxed. She was dressed less casually then the other day. She had loose fitting jeans on and a simple shirt, that was obscured by her apron. 

“It wasn’t a problem.” He wanted to tell her it could have been a different day or even after one of his shifts, but held his tongue. 

“Have you had any coffee or tea yet?” When he shook his head no he found her leading him to the coffee shop side. 

“Please order whatever you would like. On the house of course. After they have made it for you just come back over to the flower shop side. My office is right behind the register. Moegi knows that I have a meeting with you today so she will let you back.” And just like that she left. 

He looked at the menu, not knowing what half the words meant. After looking at the menu for too long he decided on a flat white, it sounded simple. When the barista asked about milk he just gave her a deadpan look. “Just regular is fine.” Who needed so many options for milk? 

He didn’t want to seem too eager for the coffee, but couldn’t help the little small part of him that jumped for joy when his cup was placed on the counter. That joy was quickly squashed by the meeting ahead of him. 

Moegi showed him where Sakura’s office was. It wasn’t directly behind the counter, but more around the corner slightly. It was nicely tucked away without being too far removed. 

He respectfully knocked on the door. Soon he found it opening and Sakura beckoning him inside. Her office was simple, some papers scattered on her desk. The tablet on her desk was what stood out. It was a top of the line model.   
“Let's get started, Tobirama-san. I was going to start by showing you the sketches I have come up with for the overall design for the spaces. The inside is going to need more work, so that the attendants feel like they are getting a grand ball feel in a fire station. I think the outside just needs a few extra touches to make it stand out. “ She sat in her swivel chair and gestured for him to take an old leather armchair that was to the side of her desk. 

Soon her tablet was in hand and she was flipping through the images. “I thought you were a florist, not a party planner?” He really didn’t understand why his brother hired this woman. She didn’t take his comment to heart it seemed as she just hummed. 

“I do a little bit of everything.” She was searching through her tablet, not even bothering to look at him. 

His words died in his throat when he saw some of her plans. “So I was thinking that inside we have some simple pillars placed along the walls. We can have them decorated with vines swirling up and lights. The tops will have bigger arrangements. The tables will be scattered about. To keep the tables simple we can have shorter arrangements on them. This way the guests can see each other and what is going on. The food station will be outside to free up some of the inside space for people to gather. The ceilings are fairly tall in the station and think we can also do some hanging arrangements that will draw the eyes of the attendants. Oh and that room that is between the hall and outside should be a cocktail area. Colors should be kept fairly simple, since it is a firesation. Are there any colors that represent your station? “ 

He was almost flabbergasted by her thoughts, he wasn’t expecting something so extravagant, yet simple. Clearing his throat he spoke. “Blues, greens, silvers.” She nodded at that. 

“I would have assumed red, so glad I asked.” Tobirama didn’t care for red, it reminded him of a certain family. 

“Oh thats right the Uchiha’s have claimed red haven’t they.” Sakura couldn’t help but gourd him a little. She knew of the Senju -Uchiha rivalry. Well it wasn’t really a rivalry more like a locker room of guys trying to see who could outdo the other. Tobirama just gave her a blank stare. 

“Alright getting back to the design. For the outside I was thinking of having small twinkle lights running from the trees to the station’s roof, mimicking the natural arch of the branches. There can be some small bistro tables for people to stand at when they want to get away from outside. Do you have any thoughts?” Tobirama really didn’t care, but one thing was standing out to him. 

“Just exactly how much will this cost? The purpose of the night is to raise money for the Children’s Hospital, but your plans will likely blow our budget out of the water.” He didn't like the idea of spending all this money. 

“I know a lot of distributors who will give me deals on all the flowers. Plus all of you are firefighters and was expecting the crews to pitch in with setting up all the decorations. That way we can save money on labor. Why pay people to place all of these things when there are able bodied men sleeping under the same roof.”

Tobirama didn’t like how logical that was. He thought some of the guys would probably jump at that chance to help her. 

“That seems plausible.” No he was not going to compliment her idea. 

“Alright then…” Sakura was hoping that he would add something to the table. Instead he just sat there. She really had her work cut out for her. 

“Do you have any free time later today? We can go to one of the flower distributors that I know and see what stands out.” She wasn’t sure how he was going to react to the offer. She could tell that he wasn’t too happy about being here today as it was. Sakura did feel bad having the meeting today. He deserved a day off, but she needed to get his approval before she started buying everything. If it was Hashirama she was working with she had a feeling he wouldn’t care, but Tobirama seemed like everything needed to be done his way. 

Tobirama really didn’t want to spend more time talking about flowers, yet alone going to look at them. “Can't we just look around your store and pick from that?” He wanted to leave. 

“I guess we could. The only problem is I keep flowers that appeal to the masses. If we want more of a unique set up then it won't be here. I do have some arrangements in the back that are for an event we are doing at the end of the week. I can have you look at those.” 

“That sounds like a plan to me.” He stood up, not too quickly. He didn’t want to seem too eager to leave. Sakura soon followed suit and she was leading him around her store. He hated to admit it, but she did have a good eye when it came to all of this. He easily found himself agreeing to her ideas. They had settled on white lilies, roses, and cosmos. They would have some carnations scattered throughout. Sakura had talked about getting vines to wrap around the pillars. 

“Where are we getting the pillars from?” He didn’t want to waste part of his precious budget on useless wood that was only going to serve a purpose of being decoration. 

“Hashirama was talking about how he and one of your younger brothers do woodworking for a hobby. I was going to see if they would be up to making the pillars. They don’t have to be fancy since we are going to be covering most of the surface.” 

“How do you know that my brother does woodworking?” This wasn’t just something that came up in the first conversation, so Tobirama wanted to know how well she and his brother knew each other. 

“Tsunade told me at one point. When I asked Hashirama about it he went off on an hour lecture about proper technique and finding the correct wood.” Sakura learned more than she ever wanted to during that lecture. 

Tobirama had to wince his brother could be a little too enthusiastic when it came to his hobbies. He shivered at all of the lectures Hashirama had given him over the years. 

“My brother can be denser than the wood he works with at times.” He wasn’t expecting her laugh to sound so light. 

“I would never have pegged you for being able to tell a joke.” Sakura was so shocked she almost thought she had heard wrong. He seemed to be more human than he let on. 

“I do a little bit of everything.” Tobirama couldn’t help but to throw her words back at her. 

Sakura found herself walking him back to the front of the store. “ Let me know when would be a good time to visit the station to start on some of the projects. Also we need to pick out the menu for food. Oh and what events were you thinking of doing?”

Tobirama stopped dead in his tracks. “What do you mean by events? The ball is supposed to be the event.” 

Yep Sakura had her work cut out for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not as long as I wanted, but hopefully the next chapter will have more packed into it.


	3. Sushi and Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura and Ino enjoy a lunch out together. Sakura comes up with an idea for the ball to raise money.

Sakura sat in her office wanting to know what the hell she got herself into. She wasn’t sure what to think of Tobirama. She had met Hashirama a few times and he always reminded her of Naruto. When he said he had a brother she expected another version of him. What she found instead was he was the complete opposite of Hashirama. 

She continued to work on her sketches for the event. Sakura was not looking forward to all the work. Tobirama seemed reluctant at times with her ideas. She was going to get a lot of supplies at cost for the event, but didn’t want Tobirama to know about all of her connections. A headache was also forthcoming thinking of the activities that needed to be planned for the night. Her left eye started to twitch. How could Hashirama and Tobirama not know to have events for the night to bring in money? The tickets would only bring in so much. 

“Forehead time to treat me to lunch. You will not believe the day I have had and it's not even one in the afternoon yet.” Sakura soon found herself pulled out of her office by an over enthusiastic blonde. Ino also made sure Sakura grabbed her purse before shoving her out of the flower shop. 

“Why don’t we eat at the cafe?” Sakura liked the cafe attached to her flower shop. It was run by one of their closest friends. Hinata had been a friend since the girls were in diapers. After college Hinata wanted to open a coffee shop and Sakura joined her in the indevor. Hinata didn’t have her family's support after their freshman year in college. One reason was Hinata didn’t want the stiff confines of being in the family business, having no desire to be a lawyer. Hinata wanted a freer life than what her family set out for her and they weren’t happy with her girlfriend. 

“Oh please you only want to eat there because you don’t have to pay. You are worse than Kakashi at times. I want sushi.” Sakura could feel the dent in her bank account. 

The two found themselves in one of the newer sushi shops downtown. Sakura gave in and allowed Ino to take over ordering. 

“Ok Pig there better be a good reason for making me treat you to sushi. What happened at work?” Ino had plopped herself into the booth. 

“Uhh. Do you know how hard it is working with models? They are so needy and demanding. I just wanted to tell them that they don’t get a say. I am the designer and they are the models. One had the audacity to show up to the fitting late and then say my measurements were off when the outfit didn’t fit.” Ino had viciously stabbed at her sushi with her chopsticks. 

“You could always just find new models. Why are you still having them model your clothes if they are giving you so much grief?” Sakura couldn’t make out what Ino had said since she had just shoved a piece of sushi in her mouth. 

“Sai may have mentioned a few weeks ago that I go through models like they are tic tacs.” Sakura couldn’t help, but laugh. Ino was good at what she did and wanted people who shared her passion. Although she did have a tendency to be particular with her models. She never wanted them to fit the stereotypical mold. 

“You listened to Sai! The guy has the emotional intelligence of a potato.” Ino was now glaring at Sakura. 

“At least I have a boyfriend..Oh shit Sakura I didn’t think.” Sakura gave a soft smile to Ino. She knew her best friend had a point. It has been a year since she broke up with her last boyfriend. They didn’t separate on the best of terms and Sakura threw herself into work. 

“I know you didn’t mean anything. Sai has grown so much since the two of you started dating.” It was true, Sai was worse than all of the Uchiha’s Sakura knew put together. They had met the artist in their final year of college. It was surprising that Ino had never interacted with him sooner given their similar majors. Ino and Sai’s relationship was one of the strangest in the beginning, but now the two were just a well oiled art machine. Sai is known for his photography and Ino for her high fashion clothing line. They just fit together. 

They continued to eat and gossip. Ino supplying Sakura was all the juicy details of some celebrities. 

“So what have you been up to Forehead?” Sakura couldn’t help but groan when she thought of what she had gotten herself into. 

“Ugh! So Tsuande recommended me to one of her cousins to help with this event and I have my work cut out for me.” Sakura was trying to figure out how to help the station raise more money. She really wanted to help them beat the Konoha PD this year. 

“What organization are you helping this time? “ Sakura wasn’t sure how Ino would react to her working with Firefighters, she was sure there would be crude jokes ahead. 

“Fire Station 9. They are organizing a ball in their station to raise money for the Children’s Hospital. Can you believe they have never had any events to help raise money?” 

Ino’s mouth was hanging open and she hadn’t blinked. 

“Forehead. Are you telling me that your single ass is going to be surrounded by hunky firefighters? Do you know how many women and some men would kill to be in your situation? Oh the calendars.” 

Sakura let out a sigh. Many women have never met Tobirama Senju. If they had, they would run for the hills. Then a thought crossed her mind.   
“Ino! You are a genius. That’s how we are going to raise money” Sakura liked the idea running through her head. It was going to bring in a lot of money. She just had to have Tobirama buy into it. 

“What are you talking about?” Ino had raised her eyebrow to Sakura. 

“At the ball we should have an auction. Each firefighter in the station would be auctioned off. That way no money has to be put into the auction itself. All of the money would go to the Hospital. It's perfect!” Sakura could see the auction now. The guys could dress how they would like to attract the highest bid, to an extent of course. She just hoped Tobirama would agree. 

“I’m glad you finally appreciate my intellect. Now you have to promise me one thing Forehead.” Ino leaned in closer to Sakura. 

“What is this promise?” Sakura had a feeling she knew what was coming. 

“Bid on one of the firefighters. Get over Izuna.” Sakura’s heart ached at the mention of her ex, but knew it was time to start moving on. 

“Fine, but could you and Sai help with taking pictures of the men for advertising before the ball?” Sakura already knew what Ino’s response would be. 

“Me around hunky firefighters in various states of undress, sign me up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Tobirama Sakura interaction in this chapter, but next chapter will be her telling Tobi her idea. Plus Sakura starts to get to work in the Fire station.


	4. Hashirama's Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura tells Tobirama of her idea to raise enough money to beat KPD.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy! let me know what you think

The men were bustling about the station getting ready for the day. Tobirama sat in his office drinking his cup of coffee. He could tell it was going to be a long day. The florist was coming over to discuss the ball and ideas for events. Some of the men were giddy with excitement to have a woman in the station. 

Tobirama remembers when he talked to some of the guys about her idea. All of them jumped at the opportunity to help with the decorations and set up. His younger brother Itami was also on board to help with creating the pillars. Apparently Sakura and Itami knew each other from high school. Tobirma’s eye started to twitch.

With one last swig of his coffee he left his office. He needed more coffee, which meant venturing to the kitchen to get it. As he walked through the hallways he could hear the voices get louder in the dining area. Brief snippets of the conversation flooded through his ears. Konohamaru was giddy with excitement. The new recruit was Asuma’s nephew, but didn’t seem to take after the older man’s laid back nature. 

“Hey boss when is Sakura going to get here? I haven’t seen her ages.” Tobirama was debating spiking the boys coffee with cough syrup. Hmm while he was at it he should also spike his brother’s coffee as well. 

“Will you calm down. How will you ever be able to keep calm in a fire or emergency situation if you are as excitable as a puppy?” Konohamaru's face fell flat. 

“Sorry it's just Sakura is friends with Naruto and I grew up with them. I haven’t seen her since she started her own business. Ami always looked up to her. Sakura was her inspiration for going to nursing school.” Tobirama lifted an eyebrow at that. 

“How did a florist inspire someone to go into nursing school?” Before Konohamaru could respond they heard a soft voice break through all the noise. 

“Oh there you are. I wasn’t sure where you wanted to meet so I hope you don’t mind that I just let myself in.” Konohamaru ran to Sakura to pick her up. 

“Sakura-chan! I haven’t seen you in ages.” Sakura laughed at Konohamaru and gave him a hug back. Tobirama was surrounded by children. Where the hell was the coffee. 

“Konohamaru how are you? Is Ami doing ok? Have you asked her out yet.” Konohamaru started to stammer. 

“Sakura, she is just a friend.” He could hear the pout on Konohamaru’s face even with his back turned. 

“Of course. It’s really Hanabi you like.” Before he had to tell them to break up their bonding moment, Sakura stopped it. 

“We should catch up some time. Come by the flower or coffee shop when you are free. I have things to discuss with your Chief.” As Tobirama took a sip from the elixir of life he noticed how all the guys were staring at her. He then took in her appearance, he understood why. She was wearing a pair of exercise pants that were fifty percent mesh and a sleeveless racerback exercise top. He could see the definitions of her arm and back muscles. Her hair was braided down her back. She didn’t look like she was trying to attract attention, but the auror around her pulled people in. Yeah they would have no problem finding help. 

“Tobirama-san is there somewhere you would like to go over the plans some more. I have come up with some ideas I would like to run by you.” With a heavy sigh he started to lead her to his office. However, he was interrupted by one of the crew members offering her a cup of coffee. It was Deidera. He had been with them for a little over a year, he was the arsonist expert. He didn’t know why irritation overcame him. He narrowed it down to having to wait longer to go over the plans. Tobirama also thought of how Deidara should be investigating one of the recent factory fires. 

Tobirama was intrigued when he saw her take her coffee black. He would have expected a ton of sugar and cream. Instead she took a small sip and then nodded her head. When he saw her smile the irritation faded some. 

“Do you want to join me to discuss this or not.” Yep he was still irritated. The crew started to scatter. Sakura just rolled her eyes at him. 

“Jeez someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.” The men all froze when she spoke waiting for him to go off on her. Instead she walked ahead of him and he followed. 

Sakura looked around his office, it was psycho killer level organized. There were no papers on his desk. He had desk organizers with neatly stacked papers, on the counter behind him. A couple of awards and certificates decorated his walls. His office was like him, no nonsense. 

“Alright Sakura-san lets get this over with.” Sakura watched him sit elegantly in his chair, while she just plopped in the guest chair. He just looked at her and didn’t bother to continue the conversation. Sakura knew he wanted her to start talking. 

“First I wanted to see if you have asked the men if they would help with decorations and set up?” Sakura was hoping he was at least able to carry enough conversational skills to ask a simple question with people he worked with everyday. 

“They all were in agreement to lending a hand.” 

“That’s great! It will help us save a lot of money. On the topic of money I have been thinking of different events that can take place during the ball. One of them is to have an auction.” Sakura paused waiting for him to say something. He tilted his head and was silent for a few seconds. 

“An auction. Doesn’t that mean we have to get products for the attendees to bid on?” Yep here comes the pessimistic attitude. 

“Well I was thinking about that. Did your school ever have student auctions senior year?” Sakura was praying that he would say yes. 

“No.” Tobirama wanted her to get to the point. 

“Oh. Ok. So in high school the student council would set up an event every year. Students from the senior class would be put up for auction. The other grades would then bid on them. The seniors would create a list of what they would do for the day for the person who placed the highest bid on them. It didn’t cost any money for the auction itself and always brought in a good amount of money for Grad Week activities. So I was thinking that we could do something similar with the firefighters.” Sakura looked at him hopefully. The man had a great poker face. 

“You want to auction off the firefighters to raise money?” His voice was tight when he spoke. Tobirama didn’t like how this sounded. But he liked the idea of no money going into the event. 

“Yes. Each firefighter would create a bio to have posted before the event. The attendants can access it on your website. I was also thinking of having two of my friends help with creating photos for the website as well.” Sakura wanted to scream at him to just accept the idea. 

This idea left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he wouldn’t have to participate in it. 

“And what would my crew be doing for those who win?” Sakura was anticipating this question. She knew Tobirama’s distaste for the firefighter calendars that some of the other stations would create, so knew this would not be his cup of tea. 

“They would have a day with the firefighter. It will be in the rules that everything is to remain respectful for all parties involved.” Tobirama folded his arms and leaned back. 

“Will your friends charge for the photos?” Sakura found hope bubbling up on the inside. 

“No they will be doing it as a favor.” Sakura just had to treat Sai and Ino to a dinner of their choice. 

“Fine.” Sakura found herself jumping up in excitement. She looked over to Tobirama who looked like he was going to explode. 

“Sorry. I got a little excited.” Sakura sat back down in her chair. She pulled out some files from her bag and tried to appear like the professional business woman she was. 

“We could also auction off some days for people to spend time in the firestation.” Tobirama didn’t know where the idea came from or what possessed him to say it out loud. 

“That sounds wonderful!” Sakura clasped her hands in front of her in excitement. Maybe this would be so bad. They settled into a more detailed conversation about the logistics of the ball. It seemed like only moments had passed, but when he glanced at his watch they had been in his office for over 2 hours. 

As she went to open her mouth Tobirama’s office door was flung open, causing her to jump. She didn’t realize Tobirama jumped slightly as well. 

“Chief, Deidara is back from the scene of the factory fire.” Jin then walked away. 

Tobirama cleared his throat and got up to move. 

“I have to speak to one of my guys. Do you mind waiting out in the main hall?” 

“Of course not.” With that Sakura gathered her things and took off. Deidara was standing outside the door and Tobirama saw him glance at his Sakura’s backside as she left. 

“Deidara, come in.” Tobirama knew he was in for a long meeting. He could not bang his head against his desk. 

_______________

Sakura found herself back in the dining hall. There were some old upholstered arm chairs in the corner by the windows. The beat up old chairs looked far more comfortable than the wooden dining chairs. Sakura quickly settled into the worn out chairs and grabbed her phone. She sent a quick text to Ino about the upcoming job. She then silenced her phone and picked up her tablet. Sakura wasn't in the mood for Ino at the moment. 

A few minutes went by as Sakura worked. She was so engrossed that she didn’t realize someone sat in the chair next to her until they spoke. 

“Hi I’m Kotetsu. You must be Sakura, the person helping with the ball this year.” Sakura looked up to see a man around her age sitting down next to her. He had brown eyes and dark black-blue hair. His hair was slightly wild sticking out at odd angles. He overall was handsome, if not on the plain side. 

“Yes, I’m Sakura. Nice to meet you.” Sakura extended her hand to shake his. It was then she noticed the boyish smile that crossed his face. 

“So are you going to help us beat the KPD this year? “ 

“That’s the plan. I heard that you guys are willing to help as well, which will help.” 

“Yeah lots of the guys are looking forward to helping.” Kotetsu was now leaning over, arms on his legs and he talked to her. 

“Hey Kotetsu, we have to clean the engine. Get your ass over here.” A man with brown hair that covered one of his eyes called out, interrupting the conversation. 

“Guess duty calls. I look forward to seeing you around more.” With a wink he ran off. Sakura found herself sighing. She wasn’t sure if she could handle flirting and starting over. She was supposed to be done with this. Stupid men. 

Sakura busied herself with her tablet. Hashirama had sent her a list of the crew members of station 9. She hoped all of them would be in agreement with the plan. 

_____________________

Deidara finally finished giving Tobirama the report. Sadly it seemed they would have to work with the KPD on the case, which meant he would have to work with either Izuna or Shisui. Tobirama felt a bitter taste come up his mouth. Shisui was decent to work with, but Izuna grated on his nerves.

Tobirama needed to stretch his legs and found himself walking with Deidara out of the office. 

“So is the florist single? I can see why the crews jumped to helping with manual labor, Un. “ Tobirama rolled his eyes. 

As they rounded the corner he had to stop for a second. Sakura was sitting in one of the beat up chairs, he made a mental note to get new ones the moment they had the extra money. She was hunched over her tablet, engrossed in her work. As he went to speak to her, he heard him. 

“Sakura! How is my little brother treating you?” Hashirama bounced into the station, like a monkey with cymbals. Sakura looked up from her work and smiled at him. 

“Hashirama it's good to see you again. Tobirama has been great to work with. I am just working on our main event for the ball.” Tobirama let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. 

“Brother what are you doing here?” Tobirama made his presence known to the duo. He quickly evaded his brother’s hug. 

“I wanted to see how the planning was going. Tell me what is the main event?” Before Tobirama could speak, Sakura cut in. 

“Well we still need to discuss it with the crew, but we were thinking of an auction. A day with a firefighter. Thank you for the list, by the way. There are 3 crews in this station, so I hope that if all 12 participate we would raise enough money.” Sakura started to gather her things. Hashirama was deep in thought. 

“Don’t worry I’m sure all the guys will jump at the chance. Also count Tobirama and myself in as well.” If Tobirama had no self control his mouth would be hanging open like a fish. What did his brother just say? There was no way in hell he was going to participate in this. 

“What was that brother?” Hashirama had a glint in his eye. He went over to Tobirama and slapped his back. 

“Oh come on. Don’t be a stick in the mud. This is for charity. Don’t you want to beat KPD?” Hashirama knew exactly what to say to get his brother to agree to this. 

“Fine.” Tobirama had no desire to participate in the event. He wasn’t fully on board with it. He wanted to raise more money this year. If the goal was to raise money for charity there was nothing wrong with some competition, right? Plus he couldn't make a scene in front of Sakura and the guys. The moment Hashirama and he were alone they would discuss this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmm Tobirama handled that well ...or did he. Next chapter Sakura and Tobirama tell the crews about the auction. In the next few chapters expect more TobiSaku, Izuna comes into the story, and Sakura spending a lot of time in the station.


	5. Webistes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew members agree to the auction. Izuna makes an appearance. Sakura and Tobirama plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Hashirama knew he was in for a scolding the moment he was alone with Tobirama. Soon after Hashirama volunteered Tobirama and himself they broached the subject with the crews, Hashirama’s strategic plan. 

“Thank you everyone for taking the time to hear this out. I’m Sakura, the one Hashirama hired to help with the ball this year. I know you all want to beat KPD this year and we have an idea on how to do that. “ Sakura had to pause when all of the guys started to cheer. She waited a few seconds before she continued. 

“So for the ball I wanted to see if you guys would be willing to participate in an auction.” Sakura paused and looked at all the guys with a hopeful look. Hashirama watched her and knew the guys would eat out of her hand. 

“What would we be doing in the auction?” Konohamaru was cute as he raised his hand before speaking. 

“You guys would be who the attendants of the ball bid on. I have two friends who will help take photos before the event to put on the website. The person who bids the highest would get the day with you. We will also be raffling off “ _ FireFighter for a day” _ , which those who donate to the station get their names placed in a drawing. Those who get chosen will shadow for a day at the station. What do you guys think?” 

Murmurs could be heard after she finished talking. Most of the men were nodding their heads as they discussed it amongst themselves. 

A deep scratchy voice then spoke. “Will you be bidding on any of us?” It came from Kisame, there was a slight chuckle at the end. He was 6’5’’ and looked like he could crush a monster truck with his bare hands. 

“Oh...I don’t thi-” Before Sakura could finish, Hashirama cut in. He was going to have a conversation with Sakura that she was not expected to bid. 

“Sounds like you are all in agreement then. Since that is settled, go back to work everyone.” He watched as the crews went off to their prospective areas. 

“Thanks Sakura. Is there anything else you need to go over today?” Hashirama ignored his little brother glaring in the corner. Why was he always in a corner lurking? 

“Oh I don’t think so. The main goal today was to see if Tobirama and the crews approved of the auction idea. I will work on setting up a website for the event. Can you have the guys send me their measurements so Ino can work on wardrobe? With the quick glance I saw of the crew members she should have a lot of pieces in stock they could wear.” Sakura started to gather her belongings. She was lucky Moegi was capable of manning the store on her own. Of course Hinata would pop in to supervise as well for Sakura, but she should get back to work. She had a long day ahead with building the website. 

“Do you have a list of those who have bought tickets? I will want to send them an email with the website so they can view it.” 

“Uhh. Not that many people have bought tickets yet. I will have Mito look for a list.” Hashirama went to scratch the back of his head. 

“Not that many people! How were you planning on raising money if no one has bought tickets yet?” Sakura was working with idiots. 

“I told you we needed better advertising.” Tobirama decided to pipe in at that moment. 

“I…” Hashirama felt uncomfortable with Sakura and Tobirama staring him down. 

“Tobirama we will meet tomorrow to go over ways to raise awareness for the event. Does that work for you?” Tobirama was regretting taking this over. He was getting a headache. 

“Yes that would be fine. Do you think we can meet here again? We are working on a building fire investigation.” Tobirama could see Hashirama try and sneak out a side door. 

“Brother don’t forget, I need to talk to you before you leave.”  _ Crap was _ the only thought running through Hashirama’s mind. 

“Yes, that should be ok. Is it ok to meet later, maybe in the afternoon?” After setting an agreed upon time Sakura left. Hashirama whimpered as his brother’s attention was now back on him. 

“My office. Now.” Tobirama’s tone left no room for argument. The crew members failed to notice the head of the fire department marching to his doom. Hashirama gulped as he heard the office door close. 

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” Tobirama had already made it over to his desk. He had placed his hands on top of it and was leaning over, temporal vein popping. 

“Well I am thinking about winning the competition this year.” Hashirama tried to look innocent. 

“I barely was in agreement to this stupid idea in the first place and now you volunteer me to take part!” Tobirama could not believe the audacity of his brother at this moment. He admitted that if it wasn’t for his desire to beat Madara and Izuna, he would never have agreed to this plan. And now he was roped into it. 

“Oh come on. The guys are happy to take part. Why can’t you be?”

“If the crews want to parade around and be ogled at by a bunch of housewives fine. I am sick of people only associating firefighters with those stupid calandars. The crews are made of grown men who can make their own choices. However, you decided without even consulting me if I would want to do this.” 

“Are you scared no one will bid on you? Is that it?” Hashirama knew he struck a chord. 

“That is preposterous.” Tobirama didn’t want to acknowledge that small part deep down inside that he was terrified. Terrified that no one would want him. No one would want to see beyond his hard exterior. He would never be as popular as he brothers, which he came to terms with years ago. 

“Tobi I know that you care for the men in this station. They are all excited about the ball this year. They want to raise more money then KPD. Let them have some fun. Don’t be afraid to let people see the other side of you. It won’t hurt you to not be serious a hundred percent of the time.” Tobirama couldn’t look his brother in the eyes. Instead he looked to the side. He was a grown thirty five year old man. He could feel his brother squeeze his shoulder as he spoke. 

“Now I have to find the list of people who have bought tickets so far.” Hashirama looked at his younger brother and hoped that he would take this conversation to heart. Hashirama closed the office door softly, allowing his brother time to reflect. 

_______________________

Tobirama was feeling more refreshed this morning when he walked into the station. He woke up early and got a 5 mile run in. The burn in his lungs and legs felt good. Tobirama was able to sit and enjoy the sunrise this morning after his run. He still wasn’t on board with everything, but could give it a try. 

As he strolled into the station he could feel a shift in the air. 

“Well don’t you look well rested. Must be nice having the cushey lifestyle of a firefighter.” Yep, his mood just plummeted into the firing pits of Mordor. 

“Izuna. Why are you here?.” All Tobirama could think was ‘ _ please don’t say to investigate the arson case, please don’t say to investigate-’ _

“I’m here to investigate the arson case.” Izuna had a smug smile on his face. 

“Deidara should be in the dining hall.” Tobirama felt a headache come on as Izuna followed him. 

“I heard you guys have had so many budget cuts that your annual charity ball has to be held here. There is no way you guys are going to raise more than us. Plus there is the fact that you have no clue how to throw a party.” 

“Why don’t you go work on the arson case? I have work to do.” 

“Shouldn’t you be taking part in the discussion of the case then?” Crap Tobirama forgot about that. His morning was completely ruined. Why couldn’t Shisui be the one to investigate the case. A morning with Deidara and Izuna in one room made Tobirama shiver (internally of course). Then he groaned when he remembered Sakura would be coming in the afternoon. He did not foresee his day getting any better, it would likely all be downhill from here. 

___________________________

After 3 hours of going over the case files they were done meeting with Izuna, for today. Deidara was to take Izuna to the building and show him around, per Izuna’s request. ‘ _ I can only get so much from these pictures, I need to see the actual damage in person, to find what you have missed. _ ’ Tobirama had to muster all of his strength to not roll his eyes. While Deidara was an idiot, he was good at his job. 

Tobirama was brought out of his wallowing when he heard the alarm go off. He watched as the men started running for their gear. It sounded like there was a house fire. As Tobirama watched the one crew leave he decided to follow. While it meant he had to skip his lunch, he wanted to be there since the crew had two new people on their four man team. 

The adrenaline pumping through his veins helped him to clear his mind as he followed the Fire Truck. 

_______________________

Sakura looked at her watch as her alarm went off. It was time for her to head over to the fire station to meet with Tobirama. She had spent all of last night and part of this morning working on the website. Along with working on the website she was also trying to figure out how to raise more publicity for the ball. One of the first ideas that popped into her mind was a car wash, but she didn’t think Tobirama would go for that. Although all the women in the city would like it: fire fighters wet, cleaning dirty cars. Sakura could feel the blood rush to her face. 

“Sakura there is a call for you.” Sakura hoped it was Chouji letting her know about the menu. 

“Thank Moegi. Can you forward it to my office phone?” Moegi gave her an affirmative, which made Sakura laugh. She was overjoyed that her prayer was answered as Chouji told her about the menu. They were only going to charge Sakura half the cost. The other half, they were going to donate to the station. She was able to contain her excitement until she hung up the phone. 

Moegi knocked on the door when she heard Sakura screaming and jumping up and down. Sakura’s face became flushed (again) as she realized how immature she just acted.

“Sorry Moegi.” Sakura composed herself as she left her office. She straightened out her blouse and made sure she didn’t have any stains on her jeans. One of the perks of being your own boss was that Sakura got to decide her own dress code. 

Sakura’s stomach started to rumble and she realized that she had worked through lunch (again). She was so thankful that Hinata’s Cafe was next door. Before heading out Sakura made sure she grabbed her tablet and work bag. It was just after 2, which gave her just enough time to grab something to eat and then head to the fire station. 

“Hey Hinata! How is your day going so far?” Hinata was training a new barista, so she was helping out behind the counter. Sakura looked at her long time friend and it warmed her how at ease Hinata looked. Her long midnight blue hair was tied back in a low ponytail, she wore a white tank top underneath a grey flannel shirt that was hanging open, she had relaxed light jeans on, and a standard black apron. Hinata had come so far since their teenage years. 

“I’m doing good Sakura. We have been very busy today and I decided to help out behind the counter. What would you like today?” Sakura didn’t have to debate long. 

“I’ll have a plain latte and let's do your chicken and bacon panini with tomato soup.” Sakura paused for a moment. She debated getting something for Tobirama. His job was unpredictable and she was worried he wouldn’t get lunch. 

“Actually Hinata, can you make that two latte’s and two sandwiches with soup? Oh and I’ll also take two peanut butter and dark chocolate chip cookies.” If Tobirama didn’t like the food then she would have something for lunch tomorrow. Well the cookie wouldn’t last past lunch if he didn’t want it, but the sandwich and soup would still be good tomorrow. It was a win win scenario. 

“No problem! I will never say no to more business.” Sakura watched as Hinata went step by step for her new worker on preparing the latte. 

“Oh Sakura I was thinking about your event for that ...fire station, I was going to make a variety of desserts for you. Do you want to do a taste test to choose?” 

“Hinata you know I will never say no to dessert. I’ll also ask the fire chief I’m working with to see if he would want to join.” Hinata made the best desserts in town, even Chouji admitted to it. Sakura easily accepted the first latte to drink as she waited for the rest of her order. 

“Tenten was also wanting to help. She was thinking of donating some of her artwork, if you would be interested.” Sakura loved that idea. It would be something other than the firefighters to auction off. 

“Oh that would be amazing! How is Tenten doing? We need to get together soon and catch up. I get to see you, but feel like I haven’t seen her in ages.” In reality it had been a few weeks. Tenten had been showing her artwork at different galleries around the country. Hinata was heartbroken when she couldn’t go with her girlfriend and support her. 

“She’s good. She is happy to be back home and yes we need to have a girls night. I’m sure Ino will be over the moon.” Hinata packed up the food and Sakura was bidding farewell to her. 

It was only a 15 minute drive to the station. As she pulled up it looked like one of the fire trucks had just returned. She also saw Tobirama pulling up to park. He was driving a Konoha Fire Department SUV. Sakura pulled up beside him. The first thing she noticed was how tired he looked. 

“Sakura.” Tobirama tilted his head to her in greeting. 

“Tobirama. Is now still a good time to meet?” Sakura saw that the crew looked tired as well. They must have had a rough call. 

“Yes it is still a good time. Let me just get something to eat.” Sakura put her hand on his shoulder before he could walk away. 

“I happened to work through lunch today and got some food at the cafe. Actually, I got something for you just in case. Here’s a latte.” Tobirama soon found a cup of coffee shoved in his hands. He then smelled the food she had in her bag. His stomach started to protest. 

“I also got two chicken and bacon paninis with tomato soup. One for you and one for me, if you would like.” Tobirama had never had someone other than his brother bring him something to eat. The food Hashirama brought was usually Mito's doing. There was something comforting about having tomato soup today. 

“I’m not picky. Thank you for the food and coffee.” It was a damn good cup of coffee. Sakura gave him a shy smile and he watched her tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. It must be a nervous habit. 

“Shall we go to your office to eat and discuss?” Tobirama led them back to his office. He saw the crew take off their gear and start getting food for themselves as well. 

“Did everything go okay on the call you just returned from?” Sakura was worried. She didn’t have much experience with what firefighters went through, but couldn’t help the part that wanted to make sure they were ok. 

“It was a two story house fire. The neighbors weren’t sure if the family was home, so the guys had to go in. Thankfully they found the Mother and child who were trapped in a room. We were able to put the fire out, but for two of the guys it was their first serious call.” He saw Sakura’s eye soften. 

“I’m glad everyone made it out alright.” Sakura thought back to all those nights she was worried about Izuna. Before Izuna it was her being worried for her best friends Naruto and Sasuke. She still worried for Naruto and Sasuke, but the two went into detective rolls recently, which gave her some relief. Although both were debating going into SWAT. Thankfully Kushina and Mikoto put a stop to that. Izuna always brushed off her questions saying she didn’t have to worry her head over it. 

Tobirama found all of his attention soon on the food in front of him. This was definitely better than what he would have made. They started to eat their lunch in silence. It seemed Sakura was giving him time to take a break. However, he knew the ball was going to be here soon and every day was important. 

“How is the website coming along?” 

“I am done with the design and just wanted your approval before making it live.” Sakura got her tablet out of her bag and opened the website for him to look through. 

Tobirama wasn’t sure what he was supposed to judge. He was not the best with technology, so he decided to stare and pretended to be in deep contemplation. From what he saw he liked the design. It had neutral colors and was easy to navigate. It looked like Sakura had also found pictures of the firefighters visiting the Children’s Hospital over the years. She even had some patient stories as well. 

“Did you get permission to have these stories on the website?” Sakura was taken aback by his question. 

“Of course I did! I wouldn’t use these videos without permission.” 

“You just started working on this last night. How did you get the approval to use these?” Tobirama found that he liked how she furrowed her brow in anger. 

“Tsunade approved the idea after I texted her last night when I was working on the website. She even rushed the paperwork through the powers that be.” Sakura may have called in one favor from Tsunade to make this happen. She knew that all of the station wanted to beat the police department and she wanted them to have a fighting chance. She also had her own motives as well. 

“That sounds reasonable.” Tobirama also wanted to question her on how she had his cousin’s phone number but let it slide, for now. 

“Aside from the website I have been trying to figure out ways to raise awareness for the ball. Do any of the crew members have a good social media footprint?” Tobirama just stared at her. Sakura couldn’t hold in the sigh that escaped her lips. 

“I’ll take your silence as a no. Do you have any ideas to help get the word out?” Tobirama felt like he was bringing nothing to the table, so he was racking his brain for something. What would Hashirama do in this scenario? Yes, Tobirama had resorted to channeling his brother. It made him want to internally weep. He leaned back in his chair as he thought. His brother would want to be the center of attention. He would jump up and down screaming notice me. It would be a huge production. The news media would probably show up. Wait, that wasn’t a bad idea! Not the huge production part, but the media part. 

“We could reach out to the news outlets and see if one of the stations would pick it up as a story.” Tobirama wanted to pat himself on the back. He watched as Sakura blinked. Time moved at a snail’s pace as he watched her think. The moment she smiled he felt something flutter in his stomach. 

“That is a wonderful idea! Do you or Hashirama have any connections?” 

“Hashirama should. I will ask him later today. Anything else we need to discuss today?” Tobirama couldn’t believe it was past 5pm. 

“I don’t think so. Oh, do you like sweets? I got a cookie for you as well.” Tobirama watched as Sakura searched the bag and then pulled out a cookie the size of her head. He just nodded his head and tried to not be too eager as he reached for the cookie. 

“Also my friend, Hinata, who will be making the desserts for the event offered to have a taste testing. Is there a day that works for you, so you could be there?” Tobirama placed the cookie on his desk, he would devour it the moment she left. 

“I will check my calendar and let you know.” He watched Sakura gather her things and start to walk out. He begrudgingly left the cookie to walk her out. Tobirama was in such a hurry to get back to his office he didn’t see all of his crew member’s knowing smirks. 

Tobirama bit into the peanut butter and dark chocolate cookie and felt like he was a child again. For once he couldn’t find anything to complain about as he thought of his next meeting with Sakura. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't help describing food, it just sneaks its way in there. Let me know what you think and drop a comment. Hopefully you guys are enjoying this.


	6. Dessert Tasting and a Hosptial Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobirama and Sakura get to taste test the desserts Hinata has made for the event. Some of Sakura's past and connection to the Children's hospital is reveled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some angst in this chapter, oops. Hope you enjoy

“How many do I have to dress again?” Ino was rummaging through her inventory. Her face was scrunched up as she found an orange jumpsuit that had magically gotten into her suits. Sakura chuckled. Naruto likely sneaked in the other day and planted it. 

“Twelve ….no fourteen because the chiefs are participating as well.” Ino looked up at her ceiling and pouted. 

“I love Sai to pieces, but what I would give to have some fine man meat right now. Please tell me you are going to bid on one of them.” 

“I don’t think I’m going to bid on any of them. Don’t give me that look. I don’t think that would be professional. My job is to make sure they raise enough money this year to beat KPD.” Hashirama let her know that she didn’t have to participate, which took a weight off her shoulders. 

“I’m sure the next thing you're going to tell me is that this has nothing to do with Izuna. You are surrounded by eye candy, you need to sample a piece. There is no better way to move on from Izuna than with a hunky firefighter.” Sakura just rolled her eyes. 

“This has nothing to do with Izuna. The KPD have won every year since they started this competition. Tsunade may have mentioned in one of our conversations how her two cousins really want to win.”

“So you are doing this for Tsunade?” 

“I owe her a lot, but I am mainly doing this for me. You know what the Children’s Hospital means to me. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.” Sakura went to sit down and could tell Ino had stopped going through all the garments. After all these years it was still hard for Sakura to talk about. She spent months in that hospital room. She almost had to give her valedictorian speech in that room. Sakura felt Ino’s deceivingly strong arms engulf her into a hug. 

“Well let’s show the hospital how much we appreciate them by dressing all the man candy in some fine ass suits.” Sakura squeezed Ino. 

“Show me what you got Pig.” Sakura and Ino had too much fun picking out all the outfits. Well they came up with suggestions and Sakura was going to run it by the guys. Ino had laid out the different choices and made sure to catalog them in both of their phones. 

“I will show these to the guys. When is a good time for them to be fitted and have photos?” Sakura watched as Ino pondered. She just wanted to roll her eyes. 

“I think it would be best to do the fitting and photos in one go. What about Sai and I pick a date to meet everyone at the station. That way they don’t have to worry about their schedules. Plus we will have the fire station as a backdrop...maybe when we can even get them to pose in their uniforms.” This time Sakura did roll her eyes.  _ Yeah right, you want to see if some of them will work the pole for you.  _

“Pig I am shocked by your insight. I am so shocked that I will let the comment of you wanting to see them in uniform slide.” They were soon bidding goodbye to each other. Sakura left Ino’s studio with her thoughts going a mile a minute. She didn’t like to think about the accident in high school. Her mood started to plummet. The pain. The sirens. Her seeing her parent’s faces for the last time. The downward spiral of her thoughts came to a halt by her phone. 

Bless Hinata and her timing. She was wanting to see when they could do a tasting for the event, stating it would be best to do it as soon as possible. Her stomach started to grumble and her mouth started to water. That was what she needed...sweets. The thought of Hinata’s delicious desserts distracted her and she didn’t think twice about calling Tobirama. Her brain decided to function when the phone started to ring. 

“What is it that you need?” His tone was like stone. Sakura could feel her eyebrow twitch, but she offered to have him come along.  _ Maybe he is having a bad day, just take some deep breaths. _ Sakura wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. 

“I wanted to see when you would be free to go to the taste testing. My friend Hinata is done with making all the samples and can work with us at any time this week. However, she did say that the sooner the better so she can make sure everything will be done in time. What day and time works best for you.”  _ Please say now...please say now...I really want dessert. _ There was a long pause on the other end. 

Tobirama was in a horrible mood. He just wanted to strangle that long haired freak of a Uchiha. And no he didn’t mean Madara or Itachi. Itachi, Tobirama liked. He then paused.  _ What is with all the long haired Uchiha’s?  _

Sakura had to hold the phone away from her so that she could sigh at how long he was taking to answer the question. It was easy. He was either free soon or knew a day that would work. 

“Hmm. I guess around 5 today would work for me, otherwise I won’t be available till the end of the week.” Sakura wanted to rejoice. 

“Today works with my schedule as well. I will let Hinata know. Her shop is attached to the flower shop so just meet me at my shop, so we can go over some details fist.” Sakura didn’t wait for him to reply and hung up the phone. She soon busied herself figuring out who to represent the fire station on the news. Hashirama had used his connections and they would be featured Friday night. 

After going through all of the files on the fire fighters she decided it may be best to have Hashirama be the main one speaking for the story. Deidara could be volatile at times, Kisame might scare people away, Konohamaru was a viable option, along with Kotetsu. 

Looking at the time on her computer she decided to get back to her actual job until her meeting with Tobirama. The prospect of Hinata’s baking fueling her. Sakura may have tried to sneak over to the coffee shop’s kitchen and Hinata caught her. She grumbled when Hinata refused to let her take a peek at the options. 

__________________________________

Tobirama continued to go over the budget with a fine tooth comb. The station needed some repairs in the sleeping quarters, but the guys also needed new uniforms. They all agreed that while sleep was important, making sure they come out alive was the main goal. 

He also perused the report Deidara had compiled about the arson case so far. It didn’t seem like amateurs setting these fires. They were targeting empty buildings at first, but now some supply factories on the docks were starting to be targeted. He made a mental note to ask Izuna for more backup when Deidara goes to investigate. He didn’t want to risk any of his crew men’s lives. 

The minute hand slowly ticked by on the clock. He was looking forward to a quiet evening at home and started to back up his work bag. Konohamaru was in the kitchen working on dinner, as he made his way out of the building. He was a good kid, a little spacy at times, but good overall. 

“Hey boss! Have fun with all those desserts tonight. Hinata-san is the best. Well next to Sakura of course.” Tobirama froze in his tracks.  _ Crap! I forgot about the dessert tasting tonight.  _ Sakura seemed like a nice person, but he really didn’t want to deal with any more planning. His mind was consumed these days with the arson cases and the ball.  _ Just play it cool.  _

He leaned his head back the moment he got into his truck. Sakura was hard to read at times. He didn’t understand her motivation to help them with the ball. She was always professional with him. He saw her interact with some of the others in the station and she was different with them and she was also different when around his brother. He saw how she would joke around with them.

Soon he was pulling up to the flower shop that Sakura owned. The lights were off and the closed sign was in the store front’s window.  _ Odd, she said to meet her in her shop.  _ Instead he went to the coffee shop hoping she would be in there. 

Eyes turned to him once he walked in. There looked to be a group of college students working on a project at one of the bigger tables. Some women around his age gathered in the velvet chairs with their children in strollers. Glancing to the bar area pink caught his eye. He could see Sakura and who he assumed to be Hinata conversing. Immediately he noticed how Sakura’s shoulders seemed to be hunched over and her head was down. The midnight blue haired woman with pearl eyes reached out a comforting hand to her. He couldn’t understand what they were saying. 

Clearing his throat he stood behind her. Immediately pearls eyes were staring him down. For a moment he felt like she could tear him down piece by piece.  _ Hyuuga.  _ Even if she wasn’t in the law practice of her clan she could still dismantle anyone who crossed her. 

“Sakura…” He paused. The moment he spoke he noticed how Sakura straightened up. She didn’t turn to him right away. He could see those pearl eyes soften at the pinkette. It seemed like an eternity before she spun around to look at him. 

“Tobirama, I’m glad you could make it. Let me introduce you to Hinata.” Her eyes seemed red rimmed and if he squinted he could make out the tears that had streamed down her face. A part deep down inside of him wanted to reach for her and cup her face in his hands. He wanted to wipe the tears away. However, he squashed that feeling down. 

“Hinata, this is Tobirama. He is one of the chiefs that I am working with. Actually he is the main organizer for the event.” He just nodded his head. 

“Well let's get started on eating some desserts! I have known Hinata since childhood and her desserts are second to none.” Her smile was fake.  _ Ask her what is wrong. You can do it.  _ Before he could open his mouth a soft voice broke through. 

“Tobirama-san and Sakura please follow me. I am excited to have you guys try what I have made for you.” In the little amount of time that he had known Sakura he knew she was too quiet. It seemed like the mention of dessert did perk her up. He filed that tidbit in the back of his head. 

The moment they stepped into the back half of the store his mouth watered. So many desserts. This was a weakness of his that very few people knew about. It seemed like Sakura was perking up more upon seeing the display of desserts. He had to chuckle when her hand was slapped away. 

“You have to wait.” Sakura stuck out her lower lip in a pout. She was just too adorable.  _ Where did that come from?  _

“But I’m hungry! I wasn’t able to eat lunch today.” Hinata and him turned their heads to her. 

“Will you sit down and let me tell you what I have prepared for you? Whatever is left I will let you take home, how about that.” Sakura grumbled under her breath, but looked at the desserts with wide eyes. He wanted to ask what about him? Why couldn’t he take some of the desserts home as well? 

They were sitting next to each other. He could feel her arms brushing against his with her movements. The hairs on his arms started to stand, a tingle going through his body. He felt warm. They watched as Hinata brought the first dessert over to the table. Sakura started to wiggle in her seat. 

“This is a lemon cake with white chocolate frosting. Between the layers there is a blueberry jam. I made two to three of each dessert, but I may have gone a little overboard with the variety I prepared, so think it's best to share the dessert. Oh and only take a couple of bites.” 

He really didn’t want to share, but if she made a lot of desserts it made sense. As he went to take a bite of the dessert he noticed how they bumped elbows. A heavy sigh escaped his lips. The curse of being left handed. It was going to be a long tasting if they would constantly be bumping into each other. Even if part of him liked the feel of her skin on his. 

Sakura was soon getting up and moving. Before he knew it she was sitting in front of him. Those deep green eyes looking into this. 

“This way we don’t have to battle it out to taste. Now let's dig in.” He saw that her eyes looked happier than before and couldn’t get words out. His fork cut into the triple layered cake. It cut like butter. The moment it hit his mouth he was hit with a slight note of sour for it to be soothed by the sweetness of the white chocolate and the blueberries. He was in heaven. It was only the first bite, but he knew he was going to have problems keeping his usual facade. 

Hinata was soon walking back with another dessert. He missed the all knowing look she shot him. In her hands looked to be a chocolate dessert. 

“Now I have a dark chocolate cheesecake with a peanut butter swirl.” Dessert after dessert was put in front of him. He watched as Sakura perked up with every bite. Part of him wanted to ask what had her upset, but every time the words got caught in his throat. 

“How was your day?” It took him a few moments to register that she had asked him a question. Aside from introducing him to Hinata and making a few comments on the desserts she was quiet. 

“It was long. The new guys are slowly getting the hang of working in a station.” Another dessert was placed before them. It was a beignet with powdered sugar all over it, while delicious it was not the best for an event that was going to have the attendants in evening gowns and suits. The caramel was still warm inside of the surgery confection. Soft giggles filled the air. It was like a magical jingle. He found a soft hand on his jaw and a thumb brushing the corner of his mouth. As quickly as it had gotten there it was taken away. 

“Oh..I’m so sorry. You had some powdered sugar on your face and I acted before thinking. I--” 

“Please don’t apologize. It’s ok.” His jaw tingled from where she touched him. 

“How is that arson case you have been working on?” He forgot he had mentioned it to her. 

“It’s coming along slowly. Deidara is the main investigator and we are also working with KPD.” 

“I hope you and your crew are staying safe. It seems like they are ramping up, at least from the news stories I have watched.” He could see the worry in her eyes. 

“Don’t worry my crew’s safety is my number one priority.” There was a dark cloud hanging over her head that he wanted to blow away. He didn’t know how to do that. All he could do was take another bite of the dessert in front of him. It was a red velvet truffle that he split in half so Sakura could have part of it. 

“Do we have to decide what desserts we are going to go with tonight?” He really didn’t think he would be able to choose tonight. Hinata chose that moment to walk in. 

“Sakura looks to have taken diligent notes. Knowing her, she is going to go over everything with a fine tooth comb before letting me know what you will choose for the event. If it’s like the other events I have done for her it will be a week before she lets me know.” He couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him as Sakura looked up at her friend. Her cheeks were puffed out from taking too big of a bite from the lemon cake from earlier. From what he could tell she looked offended. 

Mumbled word came out of her mouth. Her hand went to rest on her chest and she swallowed the rest of the bite. 

“I have to make sure the desserts are just right. You know my process Hinata.” Pear eyes rolled at her friend. 

“Let me box up the rest of the desserts for you to take home. Then you can be on your way.” He really hoped to get a few of the desserts. 

“Could you give half to Tobirama? I don’t think it would be safe for me to have so much sugar in my house.” 

“I guess I could take some with me.” Hashirama must never know. Hinata scurried off to pack up the food and he watched as Sakura started to park her things. She gave a grim glance to her phone. 

“Ar---”

“Here are the leftovers. I’ll see you tomorrow. Do you want me to open the shop for you? I know you may have a long night ahead of you.” Sakura spoke so quietly he couldn’t hear. Tobirama froze in his tracks and watched as Sakura walked ahead of him. He followed her to her car. 

“Are you alright?” She froze. 

“Why would you think i wasn’t alright?” He didn’t like her evading his question. 

“You haven’t been acting like yourself tonight.” She clutched her bag tightly. 

Sakura stared at the man before her. She didn’t think he would notice how off she had been. They only knew each other for a few weeks. Her heart ached and she clenched at her bag. It seemed like today just wanted to dredge up painful memories. She had gotten to work after meeting with Ino, so excited for Hinata’s baking. Then she got the call. 

It was Tsunade. Last night there was a terrible head on collision: semi vs a small SUV. The parents were in critical condition along with the children. However, the kids were faring better than their parents. The oldest of the two was 15 and the younger was 11. Tsunade wanted her to talk to the kids, it was something she has done over the years. It gave Sakura a meaning in her life that she didn’t get from work. At one point she wanted to be a doctor, but her heart wasn’t in it. She couldn’t see that day after day. Watch people lose their loved ones. Break the news to parents that their child would not be going home with them or that a child would now be parentless. It was too painful. This way she was able to provide a comforting shoulder to those who were once in her shoes. 

“I…” Tobirama watched as she struggled to find her words. “I got a call from Tsuande this afternoon. There was a bad accident last night and she would like me to talk to the kids that were injured.” Tobirama had so many questions, but would get to them later. 

“Do you want some company?”  _ Where did that come from?  _

Sakura looked into his eyes. They were such a beautiful deep red, she could get lost in them.  _ Don’t go there.  _ Clearing her mind she realized she didn’t want to go alone. 

“I don’t want to impose.” Tobirama didn’t even answer. Instead he grabbed her hand and led her to his truck. His hand had some calluses on them, but were soft at the same time. Sakura looked down and realized he could likely fit both of her hands in his one hand. He opened the passenger door for her and helped her up. His truck smelled like embers and pine, just like him. Taking a deep breath she let the scent fall over her, calming her. 

The ride was silent. Tobirama didn’t know what overcame him when he led her to his truck and started driving. For some reason he felt like the last thing she needed was to be alone at this moment. The parking lot to the children’s hospital was nearly empty as he pulled into a spot. 

It seemed like the majority of the staff knew the pinkette as they walked in. They gave slight pause when they saw him, but didn't say anything. Soon his cousin was coming into view. 

“Sakura thank you for making it tonight. The oldest one is having a hard time with everything. I think it would be best if you talk to her first.” His cousin eyed him suspiciously. 

“I’ll see what I can do.” Sakura paused as she got to the door. She had to take a deep breath. Part of her wanted to ask how the parents were doing, but she didn’t want her hopes crushed. She wanted at least one of the parents to make it. Right now she would crumble if she heard any different. 

“Tobirama-san thank you for driving me here, but you don’t have to stay. I’m sure you have had a long day yourself.” She didn’t want him to leave, but she had taken enough of his time. 

Tobirama didn’t have time to respond, he watched her walk through the door and soon it was closed. There was a window that looked into the room. He watched as she sat down and started to talk. He wanted to know what she was saying, but his curiosity died when he saw the teen start to cry and Sakura was grabbing her hand. 

“You can go home cousin. I will see that Sakura is safely taken back home.” He stood rooted into his spot. There was one thing that he knew at that moment. He would not leave her, for she looked just as broken as the girl in the bed. 

“Why did you ask her to talk to the teen?” Tsunade gave him a hard look. 

“That is best answered by her. I take it you are going to stay?” His silence was the only answer she received. He watched as Tsunade scoffed away. 

There was a bench in the hallway that he decided to claim as his own. He thought of the calls he had answered over the years, wondering what came to those that came here. Yes he would visit a couple of times a year to see the kids, but he never saw this side. He saw the giddy smiles, the grateful parents. His head leaned back. 

A gentle hand on his shoulder brought him out of his sleep. Emerald eyes filled with disbelief met his. 

“You stayed?” Sakura couldn’t believe it when she saw Tobirama sleeping sitting up on the bench. Over the years she rarely brought people with her. Whenever she did she always gave them the option to leave, which they did. It didn’t matter who she was with, no one seemed to want to stay for however long she would be. 

Tobirama just gave her a look and she couldn’t help but to laugh. She continued to laugh as he walked away. Realizing he wasn’t going to wait for her she decided to run after him. He slowed his pace as she caught up to him. Once again he was helping her into the truck. 

The atmosphere driving back to her car was different. It was like she could breathe again. 

“Thank you. For taking me to the hospital and staying with me.” She found herself pausing. “No one has stayed with me before. It means a lot.” Sakura couldn’t bring herself to look at him. If she did she would lose her nerve. 

“My senior year of high school my parents and I were in an accident. I-” Tobirama turned his head towards her. 

“You don’t have to share right now if you don’t want to.” He could see she was hurting. The smile she gave told him he made the right choice. His truck came to park by her car. 

“Thank you again.” He didn’t like the wicked smile on her face when she paused. 

“I forgot to mention, but I think I have an idea who should do the news story. “ Yep he didn’t like where this was going. 

“I think it would be best for you and Hashirama to do it, and have Konohamaru there to bring some youth into the mix.” She left no room for argument as she hopped out of his truck and got into her car. 

He wanted to protest. He had no desire to be in front of a camera. However, the smile on her face and the joy in her eyes stopped him. He would do the news story for her if it meant that he could blow the dark cloud away. Yes, he would do the story, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t going to make her miserable later. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think. I was planning on this chapter covering a couple of days, but it had a mind of its own. Comments or kudos are appreciated.


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